Mirriam Neal

//In which I make a (probably) terrible decision

I announced it on the Book of Face but have yet to announce it here – I’m doing something uncharacteristic and weird. Instead of NaNoWriMo this year, I’m plunging into JuNoWriMo, with less than two weeks of preparation ahead of me. The reasons for this are simple – November is usually jam-packed with things like Thanksgiving, while I’m doing nothing during the month of June. Also, I’m re-writing an older novel of mine, The Meaning of Always, which is a summer novel and therefore lends itself well to the month. It’s hard to get in a summer mood when the trees are bare and Christmas songs are playing.

MIRRIAM IS DEVIATING FROM HER TYPICAL SCHEDULE. SOMEONE CALL 911.

What is my goal for this novel? Well, a) to rewrite something that I really loved but that, um, was before I had the grasp on writing I do now, and b) to make something cheesy but good at the same time. Why cheesy? Because I LOVE CHEESY. I JUST DO. I love surprise kisses in the rain and people losing their memories and ridiculously tragic backstories and I just love these things. They make me happy and they make me cry. Have you seen Boys Over Flowers? Yeah – I’m aiming for BOF-level cheesiness because it ripped my heart out of my chest and made me come back for more abuse because I NEEDED CLOSURE.

A friend told me, ‘You’ll be a less-pretentious, female John Green!’ and I said, ‘Please, I can do way better.’ I pray that comeback didn’t jinx me. I WAS JOKING, I PROMISE. I’m actually a little concerned about this, because I want the novel to be as funny as it is tragic, as cheesy as it is unpredictable, and as absolutely soul-crushing as possible. I’ve set the bar pretty high on myself for this one, and I only have a month in which to do it.

BUT WAIT, tHERE’S MORE.

The kicker?

As a family, we’re going on a gut-fixing diet during the month of June. Guess an item that I cannot consume during this month? You guessed it – caffeine. Hence, during Novel Writing Month, I can have no coffee. None. Zip. I can’t even have tea. And I hate to say it, but I don’t think sparkling water is gonna cut it. If I end up crying and exhausted at the end of every day, so be it – I’m willing to make the sacrifice. I’m already a little teary at the thought of abandoning my best friend (coffee. Sorry, Hannah) during this month, as we’ve never done this apart. But hey, if I can do this without coffee then I can do anything, right?

(P.S. If you’re wondering why my art has been absent from DA/FB/here this last week, it’s because the bones in my hand are trying to dislocate again. Fortunately, I’m getting a brace today! Excitement!)

What about you? Are you doing JuNoWriMo? Have I officially lost my last marble?